Small Moments
by A-Problematic-Writer
Summary: A collection of eight one-shots I wrote for the MCSM tumblr countdown back in 2017.
1. Feathery Chaos

There's a definite chill to the air as Jesse wakes; her eyes are half glued shut and it takes a bit of rubbing to get them open. She doesn't wake to what she expects—which would be her treehouse, under her favorite quilt, with Reuben at her feet—instead, she wakes to Reuben acting as her pillow, Olivia and Axel huddled up together, and the fire out.

 _It wasn't some crazy dream. This was_ _ **real**_ _, the_ _ **Witherstorm**_ _was real._

With a heavy sigh, she pulls her dirt stained fingers through her hair. It's tangled and surely to mat if she doesn't get a brush through it soon, but with the circumstances, she's pretty sure that's a luxury she can't afford. Her hands drop to her sides and she looks out among the sea of trees—at least what she can see from her seated position. She can smell the morning dew and see the sky beginning to lighten. It'd be morning soon.

She rises to her feet with a stretch, trying her best not to wake Reuben, and walks two paces before stopping. She finds Lukas, hunched over the railing of the treehouse, head in his hands. He must be engrossed in thought, she thinks, because when she approaches and leans into the railing with him; he doesn't move, or make any indication that he knows she's there. It isn't until she clears her throat that his eyes rise and he blinks at her, startled.

"Um," she laughs nervously. "sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"Nah, you're fine," Lukas straightens, giving a strained smile. "getting lost in thought is a bad habit."

"Yeah," Jesse returns the smile awkwardly. "don't want a mob to sneak up on ya."

Lukas laughs. It's a polite sort of laugh that makes Jesse want to bury herself in the sand on the shoreline she can see from here. She rubs sheepishly at her neck, sharing the laugh with him.

"What—uh—what are you doing up?" it's an attempt to make things less awkward. Jesse appreciates Lukas for it.

"Um, couldn't sleep anymore?" Jesse shrugs, snickering at the raised eyebrow she gets from Lukas. "I know that sounds like a stupid excuse, but I just—woke up. Can't explain it, won't try to."

"At least you got sleep, I—" he pauses looking out among the blanket of leaves. Jesse can spot a few sluggish zombies, and even more antsy skeletons from their vantage point. "couldn't."

Jesse frowns and swallows against the odd tightening in her throat. "Is it—" she pauses as she catches his eye. "is it because of your friends?"

"Them," he says and his face tightens in pain. "and Petra."

"Petra will be okay." Jesse says. She must be. The redhead was too much of a warrior to go down because of some monster, even one as frightening as the Witherstorm.

"I appreciate the optimism Jesse, but…"

" _She will be_. That's the only possibility I'm willing to think of." Her words a sharper than she means to convey them and Lukas's frown feels awful as he scrambles to take back what he said.

"I didn't mean it like that— I just…" he shakes his head. It's quiet for a beat. "you guys are close, huh?"

Jesse snickers and Lukas gives her an odd look. "No, we're… friends," Jesse shrugs leaning more into the railing and looking out. The sun was beginning to rise; the sky turning from black to grey-ish blue. "I met her maybe… Four years ago? We needed something for a build."

"Oh," Lukas perks a bit and smiles. "that's how _I_ met her."

"Really?" Jesse leans on her elbow that is propped up on the railing and smiles.

"Yeah." Lukas says. "I think it was our," he pauses a moment, hand on his chin, thinking. "fourth year competing—your guys' second—and we needed… I think it was slime balls for the pistons in our build."

"Oh!" Jesse straightens up, pointing at Lukas as the year comes back to her. "Was it the year you guys built that obsidian and cobblestone generator?"

"Yeah!" Lukas shakes his head. "That thing was horrible. 'm still surprised we won."

"Better than some lousy chicken-powered light fixtures that blew up!" Jesse retorts. The blonde boy snickers, putting a hand over his mouth.

"Oh, yeah!" he's still laughing and Jesse does all she can to fight the grin worming its way onto her face… and fails. "There—there were feathers _everywhere_. And—" he pauses. She's surprised he hasn't entirely cracked up. "and chickens running amuck."

"It was feathery chaos."

That does it. Lukas cracks and covers his mouth. The bubbly laughter is a welcome change from everything and Jesse lets herself melt into it even though there are two people sleeping not too far away.

It's with gasped breaths and red faces that the two finally quiet down. Lukas wiping away tears and Jesse holding her sides. They catch eyes again and laughter threatens to resurface. So, Jesse looks away, still gasping for air, and her breath hitches. The sun is just coming up over the horizon and the kaleidoscope of colors that mix and mingle and match is a breath-taking vermillion rose. She straightens and a breathy laugh is released.

"That's gorgeous…" Lukas remarks, leaning into the railing. Jesse nods, leaning her head into her hand again.

"Absolutely stunning."

She feels something warm rub up against her legs before she hears the other voices.

"You got that right, dude." Axel says. Jesse turns and smiles. It's the first time since yesterday she's seen him relaxed and Jesse can appreciate that.

"I never thought a sun rise could look and feel so… renewing." Olivia says, coming in between Lukas and Jesse as the latter stoops to pick up her piggy friend. He snorts contently settling into her arms. Olivia leans her head over onto Jesse's arm and Jesse leans hers onto Axel's—who had taken his place on her right side. She looks over at Lukas who looks lonely and then embarrassed when she catches his eyes, but she only smiles at him. And he smiles back

Everything was going to be okay; they were going to find Petra, defeat this storm, and everything was going to be all right. Jesse has to believe that. She has to make sure _everyone_ believes that. And right now, as they all stand here together…

 _She_ can believe it.


	2. A New Sense of Determination

It's with a blink and a pounding headache that Petra awakes, her eyes fluttering open and then back shut. Everything feels stiff and the cave she resides in is less than savory as a shelter. It's all too dark in some places and water drips from the ceiling. There's the definite smell of something rotting and Petra keeps hoping it's not zombies. She sits up finally and rubs at her eyes. It's not her first time spent in a cave. She usually stays in caves in favor of houses, mostly because to have a house you must be near civilization and she isn't much for speaking to people; nor is she a builder. And while her frequent deals keep her up in currency she couldn't afford rent here in their small town, so a cave it is. This one's nothing like hers though; this one hasn't been cleared. Now that Petra thinks about it, she's sure she can hear the faint groan and shuffle of a zombie somewhere further in.

She gets to her feet, which proves harder than she expects. Her arm's stiff, it has been since late last night, (running for your life has a way of making everything stiff). Once on her feet, she walks out of the cave; it's early morning, she barely slept an hour. Oh well, she has to keep moving. She has to find that temple, they all need to regroup. They need a game plan. She's certain the others already got one. She's been away too long for them not to have thought of _something_.

She grabs her arm as a spike of pain shoots through it with a hiss. It's not a usual spike of pain. It's different, stronger, and it lingers long after the initial shock. Petra finds the skin around the area is tender too. She stays there, holding her arm, a million awful things running through her head before she finally rolls up her sleeve.

 _No…_

Petra's had wither before. It's like a nasty cold, a particularly nasty cold. But she's never gotten the deep purple discoloration of the skin like is characteristic of the disease. Her hand starts to shake. And she shuts her eyes taking in deep breaths. Tears begin to well. _No,_ _this isn't going to cause a breakdown, she's going to be_ _ **fine.**_ _She just needs to breathe._ Wither wears off, it does. She just needs to calm down and let it take its course. It'll be out of her system before she knows it. She straightens up—she hadn't realized she'd curled in on herself—and opens her eyes breathing in and out.

 _You've got this, Petra. Just don't think about it and head for the temple. The others need you._

Petra walks into the foliage of the forest with a new sense of determination. She's got this. This is nothing new to her. She's always been pulled through the ringer and she's always came out the other side, sometimes a little black and blue, but never has she _ever_ not come out of it.

She's got this.


	3. Home Again

It's a small found peace for Ellegaard. Magnus, always the nuisance, seems to find smaller and smaller ways to press her buttons. (Although, he's always had a knack for that, in good _and bad_ ways) Arguing for no other reason than to just argue was one of Magnus's talents (Blowing things up and otherwise being an imbecile being his others) Something has been bothering her since she'd seen him again, though, and not just the normal things. She's found herself… enjoying his prodding and poking. Not entirely, mind you, but the smaller pokes and jabs at her intelligence and friendship with Soren are familiar and, while rude, almost… welcome. It reminds her of days she used to only daydream about; days that still make her chest ache.

Ellegaard shakes her head as she continues down the path, eyes fixated on the quarts and gold walls that line it. She can't help but think that the hallway isn't the sturdiest thing. The floor looks liable to fall in at any second and the way it scrapes and creaks as she walks isn't the most comforting sign. She picks up her pace. The hall continues for a good while and Ellegaard finds herself questioning the necessity of this cursed passageway, there haven't been any other doors or branching paths. Just this one long, winding, dimly lit one. She begins to think that maybe she shouldn't have gotten so angry and walked away until the path opens into a larger room that she recognizes quickly as a training room. Everything has a thick coat of dust on it, from the equipment to the lights, and it suddenly becomes apparent to Ellegaard that this looks a lot like Gabriel's training barracks. She gives a breathy chuckle as her hand comes to the side of her face.

 _My, that was quite a long time ago._

Her reminiscing is cut short by a sound, a voice to be more precise. Ellegaard finds her brow furrowing as it echoes against the walls and then resounds again.

"Hello? Soren? Ya in here?"

She resists the urge to turn and run back down the hallway, in fear that those few far off hisses she'd heard were closer than she'd perceived, preferring the annoyance to an untimely explosive death, and walks toward the voice. Her heels click on the polished andesite floor.

"Magnus? Is that you?"

She hears Magnus groan before she sees him and finds herself smiling as he comes into view. His arms cross as he pauses in the apex of the training room, his brow is visibly furrowed together in disgust despite the black mask that obstructs the full look.

" _You_."

"Oh, c'mon," she says. "I can't be that horrid of a sight."

"After coming out of your _laboratory?"_ Magnus says, waving his arms like an idiot. "Yes. Yes, you can."

She rolls her eyes. "I can't believe I _ever_ found you attractive."

"I can't believe I _ever_ found _you_ attractive." He parrots with a sneer as he comes to her side.

Ellegaard turns so they're both facing the middle of the training room and observes it once more. It has old weightlifting equipment and a whole floor of dummies. Swords, of every type but diamond, scattered around on racks, some that have been dumped over. Armors, unenchanted, line some of the armor stands that loiter the ends. The walls are white, the tiles a diamond blue but certainly not diamond, the rooms lit by dimming redstone lamps, and the ceiling is domed like is so common in all the Order's temples. It's almost like a replica to the old thing. Elleegaard can almost hear Gabriel now; going at the dummies, or challenging Magnus to a duel, or even just laughing about Ivor getting another potion blown up in his face.

She glances at her companion and frowns at the half-solemn look that's crossed his countenance. "Looks a lot like the old one, huh?"

Magnus glances over at her and grimaces. "No kidding. A lot went down in that old training room."

Ellegaard chuckles lowly. "Yes… like that time you managed to launch yourself up on that light fixture?"

"Or that time you weren't an old fuddy duddy and sparred with Gabe," Magnus laughs as Ellegaard's lips pinch. "Gabriel won."

"Didn't he always?" Ellegaard says walking over to a bench near the doorway to another passage. She takes a seat with a sigh, chin in her open palm as her elbow presses into her knee.

"Yeah, but it's not like his ego needed the boost." Magnus replies as he takes a seat next her, hands behind his head and legs crossed. Ellegaard rolls her eyes nudging his shoulder.

"Like you needed one, either."

Magnus rolls his eyes and it's silent a moment before he sits forward looking over at her with a light grin. "I also remember the _gym_ being the first place you kissed me."

Ellegaard exhales through her nose. "Don't remind me," She brings a hand up to cover her eyes. She can almost remember that as vividly as she can remember the time Magnus, Soren, and Gabriel decided to braid Ivor's hair while he was sleeping; trouble ensued to say the least. "It was one of my bigger mistakes."

Magnus, again, rolls his eyes. "You enjoyed it."

"Maybe I did at the time. I've realized the error of my ways now." Her grin is probably too warm to pass off the harshness her words mean to convey.

He pushes her arm and smiles in a morose manner. "We were a pretty good team back then. All of us."

"Yes," Ellegaard sighs, swallowing against the sudden tightening in her throat. "we were."

"Do you ever miss it, Ellie?" Magnus asks; His eyes meeting hers and not holding any heat for once. "Do you ever think about it at all?"

"When I'm alone," Ellegaard answers firmly. It isn't that she never thinks about it, it's that she never thought those days back when the five of them had just been stupid kids, hadn't known what they were doing, hadn't realized how dangerous the command block could be, were worth thinking about. But they never left her, she dreamt about her time in the order when she wasn't awake reminiscing on it, every day—without fail. "What about you?"

"It's gonna sound stupid,"

She leans on her hand smiling as something mischievous bubbles in her stomach. "You always sound stupid to me, Maggie."

His glare would have been menacing had the grin not accompanied it. "Har, har." He sighs and levels his gaze with hers. "I always think about it, but that might be because I never have nothing better to do. It gets lonely living at the top of an obsidian spire in a town where everyone wants to kill you."

"I wonder if Gabriel or Soren or even Ivor do." Ellegaard inquires, frowning as she straightens up.

"I dunno, Ellie." He shrugs. "I get the feeling they do. We were too good of a team to not at least think about it sometimes."

She laughs again, this time it's sadder. "I hope you're right."

She looks over at Magnus and smiles. He gives her a sideways grin and a flash of a man she used to know, in a place she used to love, comes to memory. She can hear Soren's jazz records and Ivor's recent brew bubbling and smell Gabriel's freshly made coffee. And for a moment she can pretend she's still there. That nothing went wrong, that the blasted command block had never tore them apart.

 _She can pretend they're home again._


	4. A Reunion

"Reuben? Oh, Reuben…"

Lukas frowns as he follows Jesse toward her small pink friend. The others are right behind him; Petra frowning and Olivia holding onto Axel's arm like a lifeline. It feels odd to him that seeing the pig look so weak, so tired, makes his throat tighten up. He hadn't known Reuben long, but to say he hadn't gotten a laugh or two out of his antics would be a lie. Maybe it all has to do with the way Jesse falters, like she hasn't ever before during their adventure, before kneeling next to him. Her smile pained as she places a hand on the side of Reubens head, her thumb rubbing gently at his ear.

"You're a hero, you know that?" She says with a breathy laugh that sounds more like a sob. "You just saved the entire world!"

Reuben looks up at her with glassy eyes that don't belong to the juvenile pig Lukas had come to know over the span of a month and it makes things worse when Lukas glances down to find Jesse's hands are trembling.

"C'mon, buddy, say something!" Jesse's trying. She's _really_ trying, but tears are hard to fight and they're welling in the corners of her eyes as Reuben tries to lift his head, tries to stand, and fails with a defeated squeal.

"It's okay, boy. I'm here," Jesse's hand slides down to the pigs bruised abdomen, the tears still welling but not brimming just yet. "I'm— I'm here."

Lukas has to swipe at his own eyes to keep the tears away. The ball in his throat has grown tighter. Reuben looks up at Jesse a long while before the light floods from his eyes and his head goes limp, eyes fluttering shut. Reuben slowly withers away in smoke, leaving nothing but a pork chop behind. Jesse gathers it up and bows her head. A morose silence fills the empty spaces as more people gather around. Lukas looks out at them, he recognizes them all, mostly because they're still wearing their EnderCon merchandise and some of them had participated in the Building competition. It all feels so long ago now; EnderCon, the building competition, he and Jesse not getting along…

Petra starts to gather people, people who are willing to go out and look for others. And Lukas helps her; telling anyone and everyone who will listen and want to help to go with the woman in the dark blue armor. Nearly a quarter of the crowd dissipates with her, the others that stick around reuniting with old friends. Lukas's throat tightens at that, he still hasn't seen _his_ old friends. Amongst the noise and chaos of people Lukas notices Jesse walking away, Reuben in hand. Olivia and Axel are coming after her. It's then that she finally breaks down turning to her friends and collapsing into the closest one, Axel. Olivia comes around the side joining Axel in comforting their friend. Lukas starts to walk before he thinks, and finds himself there with them Olivia coaxing him closer into the hug. He moves in without hesitation, resting his head against Jesse's shoulder as Axel squeezes harder. Lukas starts to tear up again this reminds him all too much of group hugs between him and his team.

They all pull away after a long moment and Jesse smiles at him. "Thanks, Lukas."

He gives her a grin. "What're friends for?"

The three of them walk back to the crowd of people together, Jesse having taken his right-hand Olivia his left and Axel was holding Jesse's idle right. He smiles at them and for a moment the Ocelots are forgotten. Until he hears a voice call out amongst the crowd.

"Lukas!"

It's followed by another voice that's just as familiar and louder. He's already releasing Jesse's hand and walking out in front of the trio before he sees Maya and Gill. They freeze just as he does and time slows.

"Aiden, he's over here!"

Lukas is sure his heart's stopped when Aiden comes rushing through the crowd bruised and limping slightly—they're all bruised and limping slightly—and he starts to move and doesn't know he's running until they are too and he collides with Aiden nearly knocking the other boy over. He doesn't seem to mind. And neither do Maya and Gill as they come to his other sides. Lukas begins to laugh and cry at the same time. Somehow, he's gotten lucky. Somehow, he's lost the bare minimum in all this. Aiden's arms tighten and Lukas hears a sob come from the boy and he tightens his arms around him too. As the quartet of them land on their knees, gripping each other and sobbing.

They're back. _They're safe_. He can breathe again.


	5. Silence

He's unstable. A liar. A maniac.

It's not just names he's been called, these are things that are true, that have always been part of his personality. He has anger issues and a problem with silence. His problem being that he hates it and whenever it gets quiet he starts to lose his grip on reality. He guesses that's why Isa finds it the perfect punishment.

To say solitary confinement is lonely would be an understatement. It's downright desolate. Aiden can barely think the silence is so deafening. And yet, think he does. About how much better off he'd be if Jesse had just left him alone, how much better off he'd be if Lukas would have just kept his promise, if both Lukas and Jesse hadn't meddled in things that were none of their business. He only thinks on these subjects all of a week in jail before his muse goes to the one undeniable fact that he thinks this whole thing has been trying to convince him of:

He's the one in the wrong. It occurs to him slowly that what he'd said about Jesse was exactly what _he_ was. _He_ couldn't stand to see anyone else in the spotlight, _he_ just couldn't let anyone else win, it drove _him_ crazy to see someone else succeed. And at some point, he realizes, he deserves this. He deserves the shoves from the guards, the nasty looks, and the confinement. He deserves the sanity stealing silence that rests in the air. He deserves all of it.

Maya and Gill don't deserve this, of that much he's sure. That's why he's glad that the few momentary times he's seen them they've always looked healthier than he feels. They look like they sleep at night.

Aiden briefly muses on Jesse and Lukas every now and then, wondering how they're doing and finds that he hopes they're doing well. That they're happy in that blossoming town (he thinks the official name was going to be Beacon Town) He hopes they've managed to forget him. Just like the rest of this town seems to have.

He's surprised by the clink of metal and the scrape of it on stone as the metal door to his small, dimly lit cell opens. He brings his hand up to block the light filtering in from the hallway and, through the gaps in his fingers, he sees a figure that looks like… Reginald. Aiden moves his hand and rises to his feet, perhaps too fast because his head spins and his vison blackens a moment and he stumbles into the back wall. He can see his cot, and how poorly made it is, and the single torch above the door. Reginald approaches slowly and Aiden presses himself into the stone wall.

He's not ready to die.

"You're not in trouble, Aiden."

Aiden's eyes widen. "What?" his voice is hoarse and he barely recognizes it himself.

"You're being removed from solitary."

Aiden forgets how to breathe. _Removed from solitary? Really?_ He feels lightheaded and grabs unto the post of his bunk for stability. He looks up at Reginald who has his head cocked to the side.

"Who," his voice is still foreign to him and Aiden begins to wonder just how long it's been since he spoke. "who ordered that?"

"The council—Milo—decided you no longer needed to be confined… _alone_." Reginald answers. "Isa gave the order for you to be moved an hour ago."

"Moved where?"

"With your friends."

Aiden walks forward. "O-okay."

He wants to see them again. It's been a good month and a half since he's seen hide or hair of either of them. It's been that long since the city was finished with its most basic construction. He wonders if they're doing any better. Gill had a tweaked ankle, last he'd seen, and Maya had looked like she wasn't eating much. Aiden hesitates before he takes another step toward Reginald.

"How are they?"

The captain of the guard smirks. "You can ask them yourself."

Reginald moves and Aiden stops breathing again. Maya gives a small wave and Gill is grinning. Aiden steps forward smiling and he becomes acutely aware, as he steps into the brighter light of the hallway, of just how awful he probably looks. His hair has grown and is matted and shaggy. He knows that because of the hand that reaches back to rub his neck and finds tangle tufts instead. His face is also a bit scruffier, shaving wasn't really a luxury he could afford nowadays. Maya's head tilts and she snickers.

"You look like you were drug through a bush backwards by an Ocelot."

Aiden laughs as he moves forward quickly to wrap his arms around her, make sure this isn't just another dream. Gill joins immediately squeezing them both and Aiden relaxes into their holds.

 _Man, it's good to have them back._


	6. Distant Memory

Cassie can hear the Endermites below, but they aren't as loud as her growling stomach and purring friend. She continues to rub at his back and clutches tighter to her abdomen curling farther in on herself; she'd given him the last of her fish. She feels tears well in the corners of her eyes. She doesn't want to die; _neither did those people she killed_. She supposes she deserves this. No, she doesn't suppose, she _knows_ she deserves this. Maybe that's why it hurts so bad. She's realized too late that she could have just asked for the Portal Key. She could have teamed up with the rest of them, despite how much she hated the thought of trusting—and being betrayed—again. She guesses she never gave any of them the chance to _really_ know her. She never thought to. She was afraid to.

Being an Old builder, even one by association because you were adopted into the family, was a big deal. It meant she was taught their secrets and learned everything they knew. She was part of them and they were part of her. Still, she was moved from her original world to theirs and she couldn't remember her origins, but all the same wanted to go back. She still remembered what the portal looked like. She had been so close to seeing it again.

She'd really blown it. Hadn't she?

She'd tasted victory for but a moment, and then it was swiped away, rightfully. She should have been more careful. A little more patient, she probably would have picked up that Stampy had had it. She would have been home. Yeah, sure the others might have been with her and asked a gazillion questions, but honestly Cassie would have preferred that to the buzz of Endermites. Maybe she would've even had another family…

She shook her head. She didn't need a family. And yet the prospect of one, of friends that had her back no matter what, of friends like Jesse's. Sounded nice. It sounded better than nice. It sounded exquisite. Of course, Winslow was kind of like that, but never could he fill that place of a friend who can talk and experience with you the grief or happiness of any moment. Cassie longed for something like that. She supposed she had a semblance of it way back when, with Harper and Soren, but now… It was all but a distant memory, meant to haunt her for all eternity.

It was sad, really, pathetic, but Cassie decided she'd have it no other way. It beat being alone. She was lucky Jesse had been merciful. She and Winslow would just have to make do.

 _Just her and her darling Winslow. Together, forever._


	7. Welcome Subroutine

"It's going to be the next best thing!"

The crowd looks at her with raised eyebrows, but doesn't seem put off by anything she's saying either, which is a very good thing!

"With this we'll be able to bump up efficiency! We can teach the zombies, spiders, and skeletons to work _for_ us." Harper gets a mixed reaction of confusion and outright displeasure from that and begins to feel nervous. She's losing them, without their help she'll never get PAMA off the ground. Some people have begun to turn away.

"What is it, Harper?" Harry, always the lifesaver, asks. This brings the people back, but they don't look keen on staying if she doesn't show them something worth it. She knows PAMA's worth it. And he's just the cutest little guy.

"Well, let me show you." Harper strolls over to her small creation and can't help but grin. This is it! Years of work finally paying off! She pulls the sheet away and the crowd goes quiet. She breathes in and then out and places the redstone torch near the circuit. PAMA starts to boot up showing the logo she'd made and then flashing; PAMA on his screen.

His face finally lights up and he looks over at her and then to the crowd.

" **Hello, Creator**!"

Harper grins and turns to the crowd. "Hello, PAMA!" she greets cheerfully turning her head to him and showing her smile, the little computer smiles back.

"What does _PAMA_ mean?" someone in the crowd asks.

" **PAMA stands for: Prototype Autonomous Management Agent.** " Her small computer recites blinking and then smiling. " **I was created for the sole purpose of helping this world's useless things become… useful!** "

"So, how does it work, Harper?" Harry asks stepping closer to the stage.

"Well," Harper breathes. "If I connect this," she presents the chip from her satchel to the crowd. "to this," she pulls the lever that brings the caged zombie up. There's a gasp from the crowd. "zombie's head."

Harper quickly connects the chip to the zombie's brain stem and it goes dormant. Before PAMA, begins his dial up. "I create a connection from PAMA to the zombie."

" **Zombie, added to databanks.** " The little computer says. " **beginning welcome subroutine."** The small thinking-machine takes a few moments to dial up once more and then the zombie's eyes open again and they're that lovely shade of red. " **Hello, Zombie! Welcome to PAMA!** "

" **Initiating TEST1 subroutine."** Harper carefully reaches for the lever and waits anxiously. The zombie moves, and Harper holds her breath as it travels to PAMA's side; standing completely erect and not burning before it moves again to pick a flower then moves back and hands her the flower.

The crowd once quiet and observing breaks out in excited chatter. Harper cheers. They've got it! They can make this barren wasteland of a world something worthwhile!

"And there you have it! That is how PAMA works! PAMA can get anything chipped to him to do anything in his program list!" the crowd is enthralled now and she can't help herself any more. "he will be entirely dedicated to helping things be useful!"

The little computer smiles again. " **Yay!** "

Harper revels in the cheers and pats her creation gently on the top of its case. They're going to do this place right. These people are not going to regret giving her their support.

She'll make sure of it.


	8. Chess Match

Hadrian needed leverage.

He saw how Jesse fought out there. She had more tenacity in her than any of the other competitors. She was also smart enough to deliberate on a shiny deal rather than accept it without thought. Jesse was moving her pieces behind the scenes just as he was, for sure. Who would win the chess match was uncertain, but Hadrian would make sure it wasn't her. He wasn't about to lose to some rookie who thought they knew better. He just needed _something_ , **_anything_** that'd get Jesse to a point where she'd have to give in. Where she'd lose for him and he could continue The Games.

He thought on it long and hard. Jesse had an aura about her, something he couldn't quite place. She was protective of her friends. Unfortunately, the ones in the Competitors village were off limits. Maybe, he could try— No, he was losing it! He couldn't find anything that wasn't off the playing table because of Otto's _rules_. He continued to pace by his window looking down at the competitor's village that was teeming with life at this hour. Jesse had to have something he could manipulate, she had to have a weakness—

It clicked then, Hadrian grinning, as he ran it over in his head again. Jesse was selfless when it came to her friends! She came from an entirely different world! She had to have other friends, somewhere, people she cared about!

He began to walk to the door when he spotted Slab and another thing came to mind. He'd make double sure he was in the clear! Em had been looking for a way out, leverage, for a while now. He could use her desperateness to his advantage, if he eliminated Jesse they'd have to go to the mines. If she had any other friends, they could just play in The Games, if his first obstacle worked.

"Slab!"

The larger man stood erect. "Yeah, boss?"

"Go get dear Emily for me. I have something to discuss with her."

Slab nodded and was off. Hadrian followed his lead in the other direction, heading into the library to find Mevia. She was there lounging in a chair, book in hand. She looked up immediately, face breaking into a grin as she sat up.

"You got a plan, don't you?"

"You bet, Mevia, I need you to go retrieve the Atlas."

"The Atlas?" Mevia's smile dropped a bit. "what's that gonna help?"

"We can find out if Jesse has any other friends!" Hadrian refrained from saying anything particularly nasty to the woman before him. "You saw that whole show today, it was all because she thought her friend's lives had been snuffed!"

"So, we go get those friends, and what?" Mevia asked. "What if those friends don't exist?"

"I got the latter part covered." Hadrian smirked. "And as for what we'll do if we find them, we'll strike another deal."

"Hadrian, that's brilliant! Let's do her life for all her friend's! Please say that's what you were going to do!" Mevia had jumped up from her seat now, eyes alight with that fire that he'd known well in his years.

"And then when she takes it and loses, we'll send 'em all to the mines." Hadrian finished. Mevia's grin was positively devilish.

"This'll work, it can't fail, it's too good!"

"Go grab the Atlas and I'll meet you at the exit," Hadrian ordered. The blue-haired woman nodded firmly before taking off down the hall just as Em and Slab started to come by the door.

"In here, Slab, my boy."

Em gave him a raised brow and pursed lips as she was toted to the entrance of the library and left by Slab who went back to his post.

"What'd you want?"

Hadrian grinned as he sat in the closest chair that faced the door; crossing his legs and folding his hands over his knees. Things were going in his favor. Jesse didn't have as many valuable moves as he did. He practically had her in checkmate.

"How does going home sound to you, sport?"


End file.
